Wait to Complete Degree Before Changing Jobs?

LeeAnne writes: I want it all right now. I’m graduating soon with my BA and want to work in a management administration right now. I’ve got the 20 years’ experience but having a difficult time answering “no” to the degree question. I’m definitely not getting paid anywhere near the prevailing rate for this area of San Diego county and I can do this job with one hand yadda yadda yadda. Should I start looking right now for a more challenging better-paying job or wait until I get the BA and “prestige” ?

The Career Doctor responds: I know where you are coming from because I’ve assisted a number of “nontraditional” students who have many years of experience many of whom were back in college simply because they had reached a level in their careers where they were not going to continue to rise without the college degree.

My advice to you is this: you have stuck it out this long you might as well keep with it for the next six months.

That’s not to say that you should not start your networking sooner. I would start networking over the summer and then begin the job-hunting process in earnest early in the fall.

One caveat: While the degree is often a sticking point for higher positions and salaries don’t expect a huge response in job offers once you have the degree. A bachelor’s degree is more like a basic requirement that you need to have unlike an advanced degree which might give you a more competitive edge.